Freitag, 2. Juni 2017 - 18:56 Uhr

Flight VA237: On mission that boosts global connectivity for ViaSat and Eutelsat, the 79th successful launch by Arianespace’s Ariane 5 sets a new performance record and orbits its first all-electric satellite

Arianespace has successfully launched two telecommunications satellites: ViaSat-2 for ViaSat Inc.; and EUTELSAT 172B for the operator Eutelsat – which is the first all-electric satellite to be orbited by an Ariane 5.

The launch took place on Thursday, June 1 at 8:45 pm (local time) from the Guiana Space Center (CSG), Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Today’s launch was the sixth of the year for Arianespace, and the third in 2017 with the Ariane 5 heavy launcher, which recorded its 79th successful mission in a row. The Ariane 5 ECA also set a new performance record into geostationary transfer orbit, carrying a total payload of 10,865 kg. (of which 9,969 kg. was the net liftoff mass for the two satellites).

With this mission – the 289th by its family of launchers – Arianespace is at the service of connectivity on a global scale.

Arianespace at the service of ViaSat Inc.

ViaSat-2 is the second ViaSat Inc. satellite to be launched by Arianespace, after WildBlue-1 in 2006.

ViaSat, a global broadband services and technology company, aims to change the general perception of satellite internet, globally. The company has set out to advance global connectivity and solve one of the hardest communications problems: making the internet accessible and affordable to all.

The ViaSat-2 satellite system will bring considerable improvements in terms of speed, lower costs and extended broadband coverage. Its coverage zone includes North and Central America, plus the Caribbean, northern South America, and aeronautical and maritime routes in the Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe.

ViaSat has also chosen Arianespace to launch a ViaSat-3 class satellite, further extending the partnership between the two companies.

ViaSat-2 was built by Boeing in El Segundo, California, using the 702HP platform.

4th satellite based on the 702HP platform to be launched by Arianespace.

3 other Boeing satellites in the Arianespace order book for future launches.

Arianespace launches first all-electric satellite for Eutelsat with Ariane 5

EUTELSAT 172B is the 32nd satellite launched by Arianespace for Eutelsat, starting with EUTELSAT-1 F1 in 1983.

Eutelsat is one of the world’s leading telecom satellite operators, with a fleet of 39 satellites serving a broad range of customers.

Including today’s mission, Arianespace has now orbited more than half of all Eutelsat satellites.

EUTELSAT 172B will increase the operator’s capacity for fast-growing applications, such as in-flight and at-sea connectivity, mobile network interconnections, video and government services. It will be positioned at 172° East – a strategic orbital position providing exceptional coverage of Asia-Pacific, on land and at sea, from Alaska to Australia.

Two more Eutelsat satellites are in Arianespace’s order book.

EUTELSAT 172B is the first all-electric telecommunications satellite to be built in Europe by Airbus, in Toulouse, France, and uses the new all-electric Eurostar E3000 EOR (Electric Orbit Raising) platform.

It is also the first all-electric satellite to be launched by Arianespace on an Ariane 5.

Airbus’ development of all-electric Eurostar satellites was supported by ESA and European national space agencies, especially CNES in France, in the framework of the PIA program (Program for Investments in the Future).

EUTELSAT 172B is the 118th Airbus satellite launched by Arianespace.

The Arianespace order book includes 15 Airbus satellites to be launched.

79th success in a row for Ariane 5, and a new performance record for the Ariane 5 ECA version

The payload for Flight VA237 set a new record for the mass carried into geostationary transfer orbit, totaling 10,865 kg. (9,969 kg. net for the satellites). With this performance, Ariane 5 beats its previous record of 10,737 kg. (9,856 kg. for the satellites), set on August 24, 2016 during Flight VA232. This launch brings the total performance gain achieved since the beginning of Ariane 5 ECA operations to more than 1.5 metric tons. This performance will continue to gradually increase during the coming years.

A sustained launch rate, thanks to the availability of Arianespace’s launcher family

With six launches, all successful, between January 27 and June 1 (three by Ariane 5, two by Soyuz and one by Vega), Arianespace maintains a sustained pace of operations. To date this year, Arianespace has already orbited eight geostationary satellites, totaling 34.57 metric tons, and one Earth observation satellite.

The three successful launches in less than a month – two by Ariane 5 (May 4 and June 1) and one by Soyuz (May 18) – clearly show the operational maturity of Arianespace’s family of launchers. The next Ariane 5 launch, planned for June 28, will bring the total number of launches in the first half of 2017 to seven. Three more Ariane 5 missions and two with Vega are planned during the second half of the year.

Arianespace at the service of in-flight connectivity

The in-flight connectivity market, boosted by strong development momentum, is expected to grow by 300% in the next 10 years, with the number of Internet-enabled aircraft increasing from 5,300 in 2015 to more than 26,500 in 2025. Arianespace clearly supports these new space-based applications designed to improve people’s lives, with six geostationary satellites dedicated to in-flight connectivity in its order book for future launches, plus the OneWeb low-Earth orbit constellation.

Shortly after the announcement of the orbital injection of the two satellites on today’s Flight VA237, Arianespace Chief Executive Officer Stéphane Israël said: “With this third successful Ariane 5 launch of the year, and the 79th consecutive success in a row, Arianespace proudly delivers its service excellence to our American and European customers in support of global connectivity. The new all-time payload weight record set by this launch, which also was the first orbiting of an all-electric satellite by our heavy launcher, confirms the power and flexibility of Ariane 5.

“We are very honored by the confidence shown by ViaSat Inc., which has chosen Arianespace for the second time, as well as that of the European operator Eutelsat, for whom we have launched 32 satellites since 1983. Our congratulations to Boeing, which built ViaSat-2, and to Airbus, which built EUTELSAT 172B – the first satellite to use Europe’s all-electric Eurostar E3000 EOR platform.

“I would also like to thank all of our partners in this 93rd Ariane 5 launch: our majority shareholder Airbus Safran Launchers and the entire European launcher industry, for the exceptional reliability and availability of Ariane 5; the European Space Agency, which provides essential support for the Ariane program; the French CNES space agency and the Guiana Space Center; and our ground segment companies and all staff at the space center, who continue to work alongside us as we go from success to success. And of course, I would like to congratulate everybody at Arianespace for this successful sixth launch of the year!”

ViaSat-2 was built by Boeing in El Segundo, California, using the 702HP platform. Positioned at 70° West, it will provide about 300 Gbps of throughput in Ka-band for North and Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and the aeronautical and maritime routes in the Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe. It weighed 6,418 kg. at liftoff and offers a design life exceeding 14 years.

EUTELSAT 172B was built by Airbus in Toulouse, France, using the new all-electric Eurostar E3000 EOR platform. Positioned at 172° East, EUTELSAT 172B will provide fixed and mobile services, as well as in-flight connectivity for the Asia-Pacific region. It weighed 3,551 kg. at liftoff and offers a design life exceeding 15 years.

About Arianespace

Arianespace uses space to make life better on Earth by providing launch services for all types of satellites into all orbits. It has orbited more than 550 satellites since 1980, using its family of three launchers, Ariane, Soyuz and Vega, from launch sites in French Guiana (South America) and Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Arianespace is headquartered in Evry, near Paris, and has a technical facility at the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, plus local offices in Washington, D.C., Tokyo and Singapore. Arianespace is a subsidiary of Airbus Safran Launchers, which holds 74% of its share capital, with the balance held by 17 other shareholders from the European launcher industry.

The Arianespace order book now includes three future launches for Eutelsat in addition to the 32 Eutelsat satellites already launched by the European launch services provider over more than 30 years for one of the world’s leading satellite operators.

Of the three satellites to be launched, EUTELSAT 7C (built by SSL) will be orbited in 2018, followed in 2019 by Eutelsat Quantum built by Airbus and the high throughput satellite built by Thales.

Commenting on this latest contract, Rodolphe Belmer, Chief Executive Officer of Eutelsat, said: “Following today’s historic Ariane launch of Europe’s first high-power all-electric satellite, we are proud to once again team up with Arianespace, a long-standing partner and a leader in Europe's vibrant space industry. The technological diversity of the three new satellites entrusted to Arianespace is a compelling reflection of our commitment to innovation for the greater benefit of our customers, and to maintaining our competitiveness.”

Stéphane Israël, Chief Executive Officer of Arianespace, added: “This latest contract bolsters Eutelsat’s position as a benchmark customer of Europe’s heavy launcher, since Ariane 5 will launch three satellites for the European operator in 2018 and 2019. Our hope is that Ariane 6 will subsequently take over so that we can help Eutelsat meet its objectives even more efficiently.”

Quelle: Eutelsat

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ARIANE 5 LAUNCHES ITS HEAVIEST TELECOM PAYLOAD

Ariane 5 liftoff

2 June 2017

The Ariane 5 rocket, operated by Arianespace, has carried its heaviest telecommunications payload ever to deliver the ViaSat-2 and Eutelsat-172B satellites into their planned orbits.

Liftoff came at 23:45 GMT (20:45 local time, 01:45 CEST on 2 June) last night from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on a mission lasting about 41 minutes.

ViaSat-2, with a launch mass of 6418 kg, was the first to be released after about 29 minutes. The 3551 kg Eutelsat-172B was released 12 minutes later.

ViaSat-2, owned and operated by ViaSat, will provide extended broadband coverage to North and Central America, the Caribbean, northern South America, and the aeronautical and maritime routes in the Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe. The satellite has a design life of more than 14 years.

Eutelsat-172B, an all-electric satellite built in Europe for Eutelsat, will provide telecommunications and broadcasting services as well as inflight broadband and maritime connectivity to the Asia–Pacific region. The satellite has a design life of more than 15 years.

The payload mass for this launch was 10 865 kg. The satellites totalled about 9969 kg, with payload adapters and carrying structures making up the rest.